The Kingdom of God Has Come Near
About this series:
Throughout 2023 all our teaching series will be looking at The Kingdom Of God. The essential goal is to help people understand the Bible’s teaching on the kingdom of God and raise confidence in God’s plans for his kingdom’s expansion / multiplication.
Our first series on the kingdom starts with an introduction to the king and his kingdom and then develops that biblical theme from the establishing of God's kingdom in creation to his choosing of a special people who would be set apart for him, how God's kingdom clashes with that of the world and the choices we therefore have to make, how we're to be a blessing while we live in the world but not of it, the promise of a coming anointed king bringing to reality the rule of God in / through the life of his people, the coming of the kingdom in a new way in Jesus as promised in the OT, what Jesus expected life in the kingdom of God to look like, what Jesus taught about the kingdom in parables, how the church relates to the kingdom and the future kingdom.
Preaching about The Kingdom Of God is a great way to address life as a church community - this is how life together under God’s reign should look like. And to address our lives in the world - demonstrating to those in our sphere of influence the reality of God and what life looks like when God is your king.
About this talk:
Scripture: Matthew 4:12-17
What John the Baptist announced (Matthew 3:2), Jesus now announces in exactly the same words; but in a new way because the king himself has come. While the fullness of God’s kingdom awaits Jesus’ return, a decisive unveiling of his kingdom and demonstration of it has now arrived in the ministry of Jesus. The enormity of this cannot be overstated - after centuries of waiting, God’s decisive reign in history is about to be revealed. Which is exactly what the angel had said to Mary: “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants for ever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32-33).
The particular point is that Jesus is the bringer of God’s kingdom in a unique way; as the Son of God he reveals the king like no other; as the Son of God he expresses the king’s rule like no other; as the Son of God he has the anointing and authority to bring into being what had been long-promised.
After calling his first disciples, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and illness among the people.” This is his central announcement - the kingdom of God is now here as never before and evidence for his reign is being displayed as he heals “every disease and illness.”
And he then sent his disciples out in the same way - “he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal those who were ill” (Luke 9:2; cf John 20:21). And this is still what Jesus is doing - bringing the kingdom of God near by his Spirit and through his people.
The one thing Jesus calls people to do in response to the arrival of the kingdom is to repent (v 17; or in Mark 1:15, “Repent and believe the good news”). In order to enter under the reign of God, a person needs to turn from their current direction in life and turn to him in faith and obedience.
Application ideas:
In what ways did the ministry of Jesus mark a decisive departure with the reign of God among people in previous times?
If Jesus still sends his people to, “to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal those who [are] ill” how can we take up that challenge?
What does Jesus’ call to repent and believe actually mean in practice?
Audio only
